So I won't be ready for Chicago and New York might be hit or miss with work projects coming, now I'm in a little bind in trying to find a marathon. Cal International is an option but it's a little late in the year. I'm looking to go around 2:17, give or take, depending on how training goes so it would be better to have a few guys but I guess I could go at it solo if the course was fast.

Any marathons that I'm missing? I'd be willing to go outside the US if needed.

Philadelphia is your answer, my friend. Relatively fast course, and strong likelihood of good marathon weather. Maybe not that deep at the pointy end, so you might not have a lot of company. Google the race and check out past results. I'd say it's likely your best bet, at least in North America.

Dude thinks he can run a 2:17 but can't find a marathon. Wants to run one in late November. I happen to know one in late November. If he is good, he should be able to pop out the goal time. Anything less is weak.

Congrats, you have no problem revealing that you're incredibly ignorant of the sport.

Monkey Trent wrote:Actually yes.

Which is why I responded.

Dude thinks he can run a 2:17 but can't find a marathon. Wants to run one in late November. I happen to know one in late November. If he is good, he should be able to pop out the goal time. Anything less is weak.

Help me understand, oh wise one, why a 2:17 marathoner wannabe can't figure out which race to run? Shouldn't that modicum of knowledge either be fairly obvious or be imparted by a coach?

I'm sure the guy has a good idea of what is out there, but he wants to get the opinions of others. Just because he is aiming to run 2:17 doesn't mean he knows everything about every race in the country. Plus, browsing results alone can be misleading because a lot of guys that run 2:17 do so by going 1:06/1:11 or something like that. He doesn't lose anything by making a post on Letsrun, get off his crack.

Oh, and given that pretty much every 2:17 runner did the OT last November it is even harder to tell which marathons are quality.

If you can run a 2:17 you should have asked someone at the US Olympic Team Trials. Given your self-stated talent you were certainly there, weren't you? Uh, no? I didn't think so.Otherwise, I have to assume you're just another High School 5k keyboard commando who knows nothing. STFU.

Are you curious? Are you REALLY TRULY FCUKING curious?? Look at the moron's link. Field limited to 200. The OP wants to go 2:17. Unless the RD of a rinky dink local marathon with a 200-person cap is giving appearance fees to 20 sub-2:30 runners as part of that field cap, there's no way in hell anyone in that race would be within even 20 minutes of a guy trying for 2:17. It's garbage advice, a throwaway post.

Ron Simmons wrote:

Get bent, Trent. wrote:Congrats, you have no problem revealing that you're incredibly ignorant of the sport.

I'm curious how you come to the conclusion that Trent is ignorant of the sport. Perhaps I missed something?

He was offering up an additional suggestion for a late November marathon, since advice was being sought.